Abandon your agenda! (3 options that beat “Tell them what you’re going to tell them…” when you present)

Does this age-old advice about presenting sound familiar?

1. Tell people what you’re going to tell them.
2. Tell them.
3. Tell them what you told them.

You’ve probably heard that advice many times (and you might well follow it, too). It basically says:

“Start your presentation with an agenda,
and end with a summary slide” [Doubtful advice]

I’ve used that format myself lots of times. But the more I thought and read about it, the more I realised it tends to bore listeners, for 4 reasons:

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